Method for assembling or repairing a connectorized electrical equipment in an environment

Abstract

There is described a method for assembling or repairing a connectorized electrical equipment in an environment. The method comprises connecting an Automated Test Equipment (ATE) to an origin connector of the connectorized electrical equipment to be assembled or repaired, for tracking connections. A connection between the origin connector and a destination electrical component is identified using the ATE and sent to a computing device. The computing device compares the connection identified by the ATE with a connectivity list required for the connectorized electrical equipment to determine a next step of the assembling or the repairing which depends on the connection identified by the ATE. A visual aid representative of the next step is generated and outputted to an apparatus which provides, to a user, the visual aid superimposed with the environment or in a virtual environment. A plurality of workers can receive a personalized visual aid on their own apparatus.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for assembling or repairing a connectorized electrical equipment in an environment, the method comprising:
 connecting an Automated Test Equipment (ATE) to an origin connector of the connectorized electrical equipment to be assembled or repaired, for tracking connections; 
 identifying a connection between the origin connector and a destination electrical component using the ATE; 
 at a computing device, receiving the connection identified by the ATE; 
 at the computing device, comparing the connection identified by the ATE with a connectivity list required for the connectorized electrical equipment to determine a next step of the assembling or the repairing which depends on the connection identified by the ATE; and 
 generating a visual aid representative of the next step and outputting the visual aid to an apparatus which provides, to a user, the visual aid superimposed with the environment or in a virtual environment. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 based on the tracking, updating an assembly status to automatically provide updated instructions for the connection between the origin connector and the destination electrical component according to a construction plan until completion. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the connectivity list for the connectorized electrical equipment comprises the origin connector and an identifier thereof, the destination electrical component and an identifier thereof; and a list of connections between the origin connector and the destination electrical component. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 querying a database comprising a library of electrical components with the connectivity list; 
 generating a construction plan for the connectorized electrical equipment; and 
 generating, from the construction plan, instructions and illustrations of connections to be performed for assembling. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the visual aid comprises an illustration of at least one of the origin connector and the destination electrical component, in which the connection between the origin connector and the destination electrical component is highlighted. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the visual aid to an apparatus comprises outputting the visual aid to an augmented reality apparatus which provides the visual aid superimposed with the environment. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein generating the visual aid to an apparatus comprises outputting the visual aid to a virtual reality apparatus which provides the visual aid in a virtual environment. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein outputting the visual aid comprises outputting a personalized visual aid to a plurality of apparatuses. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 generating a list of components required for assembling the connectorized electrical equipment; 
 in an inventory database, identifying components that are not available; and 
 manufacturing the components that are not available using a 3D printer. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein a current state of the connectorized electrical equipment in the environment is obtained by a camera or a sensor on each one of the plurality of the apparatuses.